Overview
- The NHS reported an average of 2,676 hospital beds a day occupied by flu patients in the week ending 28 December, down on the previous week and lower than at the same point in recent winters.
- About 18.5 million people have received a flu jab in England, roughly 500,000 more than by this time last year, which leaders say helped curb admissions.
- In Greater Manchester, average flu bed use fell to 140 a day from 163 a week earlier, with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust down to 80 a day from a December peak of 109.
- Merseyside averaged 52 flu beds a day, down from 69 a week earlier and below 2024 and 2022 levels, with all local trusts reporting declines.
- Some trusts still reported rises, including St George’s, Northern Care Alliance, County Durham and Darlington, Mid and South Essex, and Portsmouth, as the NHS warns pressures persist during the cold snap.